Churches Buy Out Multiplexes for ‘Son of God’ Opening

Church leaders have bought out multiplexes in 10 cities for preview screenings of Mark Burnett and Roma Downey’s “Son of God” on Feb. 27, the day before the 20th Century Fox film on the life of Jesus is released nationwide.

Mega-church pastor Rick Warren has booked eight different theaters throughout Orange County. “We’re excited Jesus is back on the bigscreen, and we’re going to fill the theaters. I want every other faith leader in America to do the same. Whether you can buy out a whole theater, or just one screen, now is the time to show up,” Warren said.

Crossroads Church in Cincinnati will be showing “Son of God” on 13 screens at the same time along with other churches that are distributing thousands of tickets for a “theater take-over.”

The feature film is derived from History Channel miniseries “The Bible,” which aired to an average of 15 million-plus viewers per episode in the U.S. “Our hope is that the story and message of Jesus Christ will reach tens of millions of people nationwide,” Burnett and Downey said.

As for skin color, I’d say that certainly matters contextually. If we’re trying to accurately portray Jesus cinematically and address that not only did he die for our sins, but also that he was a real person, then it’s important that we’re accurate in our depiction of him, otherwise anyone with half a brain would find it unbelievable. A strongly influential White Israeli man who lived in and around Nazareth over 2000 years ago, who’s unique ethnicity for the area was never discussed? Seems improbable at best. Under the mentality of “It’s about showcasing the good deeds of a man, not the color of his skin,” let’s have Tom Hanks portray Martin Luther King in the next biopic, or Ildris Elba as Pope John Paul II, or maybe even Jennifer Lopez as Ernest Hemingway. As a whole, race (and gender) is unimportant in determining the character of a person, however, it does help define us as individuals, and as unique human beings. To disregard that when trying to tell the story of someone’s life, even the son of God’s, is to deny the honesty of the life they actually lived.